By the Clicking of His Claws
by John Chao
Summary: A zergling dreams of blood and death. (Not my story, belongs to an excellent writer named PaxNox- if anyone knows how to contact him, let me know.)


By The Clicking Of His Claws  
  
Skruuch's feet twitched constantly during his slumber. His chest rose and fell in harsh gasps. The movements were not unlike the unconscious jerking of a dog while sleeping.  
  
In his dream, Skruuch was running through the jungle again. His powerful hind legs exploded into the air with every gallop. On his left flank, another poolmate ran beside him. To his right, Gaurun, a Defiler, chittered through the underbrush. Soon they would be upon the hive of the Soft Bellys and Skruuch and his poolmates would rip through their metal colony followed closely Gaurun. When the Soft Bellys finally rallied with their guns and tanks, Gaurun would open the vents along his ribs and spew an acidic cloud of plague into their enemies number. The Defiler would then bury himself to replenish the plague sacs between his lungs. Meanwhile, Skruuch and his brethren would sate their bloodlust on the plague-weakened bodies. The slaughter would be terrific, and he reveled in the plan.  
  
-----  
  
"Of course, my esteemed colleague would have y'all believe that the Zerg are capable of coordinated attacks. Ridiculous! Tactics of the kind he suggests are dependent on every participant being possessed of independent thought. Y'all know this to be patently untrue of the Zerg. Each entity is dependent on the wills of their Overlords, who are directed by their Cerebrate masters, who in turn are controlled by the Overmind.  
  
I submit to this panel that these attacks, while damn effective, owe their success more to speed and ferocity than to any kind of cooperation between reasoning warriors. We can't even verify that these Zerg identify with social groupings like a pack or a flock. To these unthinking beasts, they are but a part of a greater sum. Emotions are beyond their simple minds."  
  
-----  
  
Whenever the anticipation became too great, Skruuch would curl his lips back and let loose with a cry as he ran. His poolmates would sometimes howl in answer, reaffirming their happiness with the coming battle.  
  
Skruuch had dreamed of this every night since the raid. When Skruuch was awake, he only dimly remembered the assault on the humans of Neo Jersey. He couldn't penetrate the thick fog of his instincts to recollect every detail. It was more of a feeling. A sense of triumph and glory for the Hive. When he slept, however, Skruuch relived every moment of the attack.  
  
He welcomed sleep now for the dreams it brought. Before, Skruuch had long considered sleep a neccessary evil. A biological need forced upon him by his body. He remembered cursing the need to cease activity and replenish his endurance. Couldn't he better serve the Overmind awake? Wouldn't it be better to keep him aware in case the Soft Bellys or, worse yet, the Toothless Ones dared to attack the Lair?  
  
Kurm, one of the Overlords, tried to explain to Skruuch why he needed to sleep. Kurm patiently instructed Skruuch as to the nature of his muscles and how they could not sustain continuous activity forever. He told Skruuch that sleep was a friend to his body. Even Overlords like Kurm had to sleep sometimes. Skruuch did not understand. He furrowed his brow and shook his head in confusion. Kurm finally gave up and told Skruuch that he had to sleep because the Overmind willed it so.  
  
Skruuch lived with that explanation, but he was never happy about it. Kurm, for his part, was just glad to get back to his duties. As he floated away, he wondered what the little Zergling would have thought if Kurm had told him that Skruuch unconsciously fed while he slept. Curled within the Creep, all Zerg absorbed nutrients through their skin. The Creep was sustenance as well as comfort. The Zergling could never comprehend depth of the Overmind's generosity. If Kurm could've chuckled, he would.  
  
-----  
  
Dear Ann-Marie,  
  
The Zerg are no longer a laughing matter. At first, it was funny. The smaller Zerg would come running at the installation in ones and twos. Futile. We would open up on them with our gauss rifles and shred them pretty quickly. We laughed at how single-minded and useless their attacks were. Then I started to get a funny feeling. I began to think that there was a purpose to their sacrifices.  
  
I was right. The Zerg were testing our defenses.  
  
Two days ago the puny attacks stopped. VanMeer made a big joke about how even Zerg had to get the hint. 'You can only fit so much stupidity into a brain that small,' he said while cleaning his pistol.  
  
This morning they hit us hard. Estimates put the Zerg numbers at over a hundred. They came flooding in through a break in our western line and killed twenty-three men. Good men. VanMeer was one. He died screaming and clutching at his gut as two of the beasts tore into his suit.  
  
Now their attacks come every two hours. Between the gunfire, I hear crying and yelling. The attacks are slowly chipping away at us. This last time, the Zerg destroyed two of our bunkers. We've been told that help will come soon. I don't think it will come soon enough.  
  
I'm not that afraid of dying. I'm just afraid I'll never hold you again.  
  
-----  
  
Skruuch's claws jerked wildly. This was the part of the dream he liked best. In his dream, the Zerglings burst out of the brushes and swarmed into the base. The Soft Bellys fired into the midst of his poolmates and many of them fell before they even had a chance to taste human blood. It made Skruuch mad with sorrow and he screamed in frustration.  
  
He could feel Kurm in the back of his mind, telling him to destroy the bunker ahead. Skruuch growled, lowered his head and charged at the squat emplacement. When he turned, the ports on the bunker opened and belched machinegun fire. Skruuch flinched slightly, but he saw that six of his fellow Zergling swerved with him and he resolved to see the Soft Bellys inside the bunker dead.  
  
Skruuch heard low guttural hissing at his back and he knew that Hydralisks were not far behind. He slammed into the bunker's shell and growled, momentarily dazed from the impact. The whistling sound of the Hydralisk's spines shooting over his head snapped him out of his confusion. Skruuch bellowed and renewed his attack. His claws left deep furrows in the aluminum hull.  
  
-----  
  
"Cost estimates of the EZ-Turtle Bunker system inflated 120% with the addition of plasteel armor. Ballistic tests of the current aluminum casing show a more than acceptable rating versus solid slug, explosive-tipped, and dum-dum rounds. The only measurable difference between the plasteel and aluminum occured during the impact endurance test. During said test, the plasteel covering maintained structural integrity 29% longer than the default choice. It should be noted that the endurance test was conducted with the continued application of a vibro-hammer on the outer skin.  
  
Although the higher impact rating of the plasteel would seem to justify the higher cost, marketing analysis and our source in the Confederate Marines revealed that a cost overrun of even 70% would disqualify QuanTech arms from the bidding. It is our recommendation that our lobbyists instead focus efforts on promoting the EZ-Turtle Bunker's ease of use and frugality. Another viable strategy would be to point out the extreme unlikelyhood of a melee attack on a marine emplacement."  
  
-----  
  
When the bunker finally collapsed, the Soft Bellys inside offered only a token resistance. Skruuch panted and looked around him. Two of his brothers had fallen, their hides riddled with slugs. Skruuch himself was wounded in the leg. It didn't matter. He felt his flesh stitching itself together. Soon, he would be fully healed.  
  
He pawed restlessly at the rubble beneath him. He itched to continue the attack, but Kurm's voice soothingly coaxed him to hold back. Skruuch rumbled in the back of his throat, his impatience showing. He wanted more hot Terran blood to splash onto his face now. Not soon.  
  
Skruuch heard the high whining noise of Siege Tanks' turbines. It scared him badly. He shuffled nervously and whimpered. When would Kurm allow them to attack? Suddenly, Skruuch heard a noise that filled his mind with terror. Beyond the morning mist he could hear the thumping sound of the Siege Tanks stabilizers slamming into the dirt. Then came the hiss of their shock cannons filling with coolant.  
  
Skruuch almost broke for cover. Suddenly, Gaurun burst from the ground a few meters in front of him. The Defiler reared back and howled as he sprayed the tanks with toxins. Gaurun quickly burrowed back into the mud. The armored vehicles' armor hissed as the venomous droplets landed. In seconds, the corrosive liquid would eat through the outer hulls and leave them ripe for the Zergling's claws.  
  
In the dream, as in reality, Kurm's order to attack came swiftly. Skruuch rushed forward, ready to heed the Overlord's command. A thundering noise drew his attention as he ran towards the tanks. It was the heavy clomp of Ultralisks as they galloped towards the Soft Bellys' Command Center. Another Overlord floated silently overhead, no doubt directing the Ultralisks toward their goal.  
  
Skruuch looked up just in time to see Kurm burst into meaty tatters. Before he could be outraged, two Terran Wraiths screamed out of the sky and fired their burst lasers at Skruuch and his remaining poolmates. The Hydralisks launched a salvo of spines downing one fighter, but the other Wraith shimmered then disappeared as it cloaked.  
  
The other Overlord (Skruuch thought it might be Luroq) propelled his bulk towards the spot where the Wraith was obviously firing it's lasers. It moved slowly. Even as Skruuch tore into one of the tanks, he knew that Luroq would not spot the Wraith in time to save them all. Skruuch resolved to destroy at least one more tank before the hot sizzle of laser fire seared through his carpace. It was what Kurm would have commanded. It was what Skruuch wanted.  
  
-----  
  
I wanna kill Zerg all night long!  
  
Killin' Zerg makes me strong!  
  
I gots Zerg blood on my gloves!  
  
It's killin' Zerg that I truly loves!  
  
I wanna kill Zerg all day through!  
  
Shootin' Zerg makes me groove!  
  
I need Zerg hide on my walls!  
  
Killin' Zerg takes a lotta balls!  
  
-----  
  
Skruuch's sleep became troubled. If there was any part of the dream he could change, it would be this next sequence. If only he had the imagination to conceive of an alternate chain of events! Unfortunately, the Zergling brain wasn't made with creativity in mind. In fact, Skruuch didn't even know why he found this portion of the dream unsatisfying. He just knew he did.  
  
As the cloaked Wraith killed another Hydralisk, Gaurun heaved his bulk out of the ground. The Defiler swept around and used his powerful mandibles to grasp Shkeek, one of the other Zerglings. Shkeek beat his legs in the air helplessly and squealed as the Defiler lifted him into the air. Gaurun flexed his powerful jaws and broke the Zergling's back in two places. Black juices ran over the Defiler's lips. One. Two. Three. Just that quickly, Gaurun swallowed Shkeek's crushed body.  
  
Sated, the Defiler whipped his tail and a thick cloud of tiny parasites flew into the air. Gaurun convulsed wildly, sending even more of the mites airborne. The dark swarm formed a protective layer of buzzing interference. The Wraith could no longer target any units on the ground! Just as the Soft Belly pilot realized the futility of staying where he was, Luroq drifted into position. The Overlord's powerful echolocation sense revealed the fighter and allowed the Hydralisks to blast him from the sky.  
  
Gaurun hissed and turned towards Skruuch. The Zergling groaned even as he continued to shred the tank's armor. His terror was sharply counterbalanced with awe and hope. Perhaps the Defiler meant to eat him, too? He needed to replenish his energies if he wanted to hit the Soft Bellys' installation with another burst of plague venom.  
  
Skruuch shivered in ecstasy. To become a victim of the Defiler's majestic hunger would be wonderful! His poor, pitiful life-force would fuel a glorious spray of plague. His unworthy meat would be converted into a destructive acid second to none. Skruuch knew there was no better end for a Zergling.  
  
A loud crashing noise intruded into his thoughts. The Soft Bellys' main building had fallen thanks to the onslaught of the Ultralisks. Gaurun clicked his teeth and crawled away. There was no need to expend any more venom on the human settlement. The Zergling's nutritive value was not wanted now.  
  
Skruuch barked in frustration. He turned and headed towards the next nearest structure. If he was to live, then he would prove himself worthy of the Overmind's favor.  
  
-----  
  
NEO JERSEY - A large force of Zerg destroyed the burgeoning settlement of Neo Jersey yesterday. The violent, and unprovoked, attack swept ruthlessly through the colony during the early morning hours. All 652 colonists are feared dead. If the brutality of past Zerg attacks are any indication, any survivors found will likely be infested with painful Zerg parasites and will require euthanasia as a humane solution.  
  
Confederate Armed Forces made every effort to reach the besieged installation as soon as the call for help was received two days ago. The highly decorated General Edmund Duke of the elite Alpha Squadron "Blood Hawks" personally oversaw the rescue operation. Unfortunately, that help came too late.  
  
As is typical of the cowardly xenomorphs, by the time the Alpha Squadron fleet arrived in-system, they had deserted the planet, leaving only destruction in their wake. Military scientists, originally part of the Alpha Squadron research team, examined the wreckage and pronounced it a total loss.  
  
Confederate officials reaffirmed their commitment to colonize the planet despite the setback. The administration's press release stated in no uncertain terms that "we cannot let the Zerg claim the resource-rich world of Styx." It went on to assert "the true tragedy would be for those valiant colonists to have given their lives for nothing."  
  
The Confederate Corps of Engineers announced plans to erect a memorial to those killed at Neo Jersey. The military plans to place the structure on the site of the destroyed Command Center as soon as the temporary mining facility completes draining the nearby vespene geyser.  
  
-----  
  
Skruuch woke. The dream always ended when the last Soft Belly fell under his claws. The human screamed and pleaded, but Skruuch's rage left no room for mercy. As he landed on the Soft Belly, Skruuch roared in delight at the smell of panic coming from the marine.  
  
He yawned and tasted the air. The hatchery was bustling with activity and Skruuch rattled in satisfaction. The planet they were on now held little possibility of glorious battle. After the slaughter on Styx, the Overlords had gathered all the warriors into their ventral sacs and carried them to this place.  
  
The other Zerglings were restless here. Many voiced their need for violence to the Overlords, but their complaints went largely unheeded. The Overlords told them all to be patient. The Overmind would provide.  
  
Skruuch didn't mind the menial tasks, nor the seemingly endless scouting patrols. He believed the Overmind would provide, just as their floating masters said. In the meantime, he had his dream to keep him happy.  
  
He tapped his claws and waited.  
  
Tap.  
  
Tap.  
  
Tap. 


End file.
